Courageous Snake, Cunning Lion
by authorinprogress97
Summary: Rosalinda Elwood was raised as a noble pureblood, with generations of her family in Slytherin but always felt like she was different from her family. When she goes to Hogwarts, she'll find out who she's meant to be, with the Marauders and her friends.


_**Yay, another random fic! It's probably not very good, but try not to flame or spam, please!**_

_**P.S. if the meeting between all of them isn't the same as the book, well, sorry. I can't remember the meeting in the book.**_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own Sev, Lils, Prongs, Siri, Moony, Wormtail or others. I do own the Elwood family.**_

_**-8-8-8-  
><strong>_

"And remember, Rosalinda, behave yourself," Rosalinda Elwood's mother, Tara Elwood, reminded her. "Do not disgrace the family name."

Rosalinda nodded and looked at the scarlet train that would bring her to Hogwarts. Her face was an expressionless mask, but inwardly, she was screaming and jumping around in excitement. She had been looking forward to going to Hogwarts ever since her brother, Caleb, came back from his first year with so many fascinating stories.

Looking around, she tried to look for a familiar face, but the platform was crowded with many different wizard families sending off their own children. Even if she did find someone she knew, she doubted she would want to talk to them. She found the children her parents put her together with much too haughty for her taste, but she tolerated them so she could please her parents.

As the whistle sounded, her mother gave her a hug. Of course, Tara's hug was merely wrapping her arms around Rosalinda's shoulders and giving her another warning not to disgrace the family name. it was missing the warmth that all hugs were supposed to have.

Rosalinda grabbed her trunk and loaded it into the train. She would never say it out loud, but she was relieved to be going to Hogwarts, away from her mother and all the expectations being a pureblood entailed. She was expected to go into Slytherin, but she wasn't sure if that was the house she wanted to go to.

Her mother would most likely beat her and send her to her room without supper if she knew, but she found being in Slytherin stifling. They were supposed to act like noble purebloods all the time and Rosalinda wasn't sure she could handle that.

Looking at the other students waving goodbye to their parents, Rosalinda wondered momentarily why she couldn't have a _normal_ family. A family that loved each other and showed affection.

She shook the thought away. There was no use wondering about what was permanent. You couldn't choose your family, but you could choose your friends, and Rosalinda was determined to find the right ones.

She peered into a compartment and saw a young boy and a girl. The girl was crying and the boy seemed familiar to Rosalinda, but she couldn't think why.

She knocked on the compartment door and both of them looked towards her. "Do you mind if I sit with you? The other compartments are full."

The girl shook her head, sniffling and drying her eyes with her sleeves. The boy looked at her suspiciously and suddenly Rosalinda remembered.

"Sev? Is that you?" she asked excitedly.

He looked at her for a moment, confused before recognition flooded his eyes. "Rosie!"

Rosalinda laughed and went to hug her childhood friend. He stiffened for a moment before he hugged her back. The girl looked between them.

"Sev, you know her?" the girl asked, looking between the two of them.

"How rude of me," Rosalinda said, smiling at the girl and holding out her hand. "I'm Rosalinda Elwood. You can call me Rosie. All my friends call me that."

"I'm Lily Evans," she replied, shaking Rosalinda's hand tentatively. Rosalinda's head tilted to the side in confusion. Most people knew the name Elwood and would immediately say something about it. Lily didn't have any reaction to that piece of information at all.

"You're not a pureblood, are you?" Rosalinda asked almost rudely.

Lily blinked at her. "Er, no. My parents are muggles. It's – it's not a problem, is it?"

"You're a mud – muggleborn?" Rosalinda said, immediately correcting herself when she saw the sharp look Sev threw her. Rosalinda hadn't expected that and bit her lip. If her mother had any say in it, she would tell her to leave and immediately find another compartment to sit in.

In fact, she almost did before she looked at Severus. Her mother had thrown a fit when she found out young Rosalinda had made friends with a half-blood and immediately moved from Spinner's End, causing Rosalinda to lose her first and only _true_ friend.

Making up her mind, Rosalinda sat down next to Lily. "No, it's not a problem."

Severus smiled slightly. He had Rosalinda back and he had Lily with him. Life couldn't get any better. Unfortunately, it was spoken too soon as while Lily was wiping away lingering tears and Rosalinda was comforting her, two boys barged into the compartment.

Rosalinda threw them a withering stare before going back to comfort Lily. The newcomers were laughing loudly when they finally noticed they weren't the only ones in the compartment.

"Who're you?" the boy with messy black hair, glasses and hazel eyes asked them.

"I could ask you the same question," Rosalinda replied scathingly, standing up and crossing her arms. "We were here first."

"I'm James Potter, and that's Sirius Black," the boy with spectacles replied, pointing to himself then the boy next to him. Rosalinda eyed the other boy. The Blacks were a family as respected as the Elwoods. They also had generations of family members in Slytherin.

"That's Severus Snape – " she pointed to Severus. "She's Lily Evans," she said, pointing to Lily. "And I'm Rosalinda Elwood."

"You're an Elwood?" Black asked skeptically. Rosalinda had honey blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She didn't really look like the rest of the Elwoods, except for the eyes and possibly the way she carried herself. "Aren't they all supposed to be Slytherins?"

"So are the Blacks," she retorted as Severus said, "What's wrong with being a Slytherin?"

Potter looked at his friend, eyes widening almost comically. "Blimey, they are? Why didn't you tell me?"

Black shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Didn't think it mattered that much. I'm not like the rest of my family though. I don't want to be in Slytherin."

Rosalinda's mother would have gasped if she had heard him say that. Rosalinda, on the other hand, was intrigued. Was it possible she wasn't the only one who didn't want to be like the rest of her family members and be in Slytherin?

"Well, I'm going to be in Gryffindor, 'where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad... Got a problem with that?" Potter said, puffing out his chest and looking around.

"No. If you'd rather be brawny than brainy…" Severus muttered, looking out the window.

"Where will you be going then, since you're neither?"

"Slytherin," he replied, glaring at Potter.

"That's where all the dark wizards go," Potter exclaimed. He looked at Black. "No offense mate."

"There's nothing wrong with being in Slytherin," Rosalinda defended.

"Well, I suppose that's where you'll be going then," Black replied, looking at her and crossing his arms.

Rosalinda blinked. "Well, actually, I don't know where I'll be going."

"Where do you _want_ to go then?" Sirius asked, blinking back at her. There couldn't possibly be someone like him… could there?

She shrugged, eyeing him wearily. "I know where my mum wants me to go, but I… I don't think that's where I want to go. You – you don't want to go to Slytherin either?"

Sirius shook his head and uncrossed his arms and both first years looked at each other for a moment, contemplating the other.

"– leave him alone, you toerag! Come on Sev, Rosie, let's find another compartment," Lily's voice cut in, making the two first years look away from each other and rejoin the conversation, or at least the flow of the conversation.

Rosalinda bit her lip for a moment, looking between Lily and Severus and Sirius Black, before following after them, giving Sirius one last look.

"Well, that went well," James said sarcastically, sitting down.

Sirius shrugged. "It could have been worse I suppose."

A first year with sandy blonde hair poked his head into the compartment timidly. "Can I sit with you? All the other compartments are full."

The two boys grinned at each other and nodded. The timid boy introduced himself as Remus Lupin and not long after, Peter Pettigrew stumbled into the compartment.

As the four boys met, they smiled. They had a good feeling about this.

**_-8-8-8-_**

_**Well… the ending left a little to be desired, but I honestly can't think of anything else. Well, next would be the sorting and their first day before I start on their fifth year.**_

_**As usual, review! Please! Like, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty please!**_

_**~Alex**_


End file.
